Mitt Romney spent his Monday focusing vote-rich southern New Hampshire. He started at a chamber of commerce breakfast Nashua, where a comment he made about choice in health care,

“I like being able to fire people who provide services to me,”

became a late-breaking flashpoint. Democrats and republicans rivals Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman all piled on. So much so that at Romney’s next stop in Hudson he called a press conference, his first since the Iowa caucuses, to defuse the matter.

For those who revel in political swag and campaign catering, the New Hampshire primary is a perfect opportunity to socialize with like-minded supporters and bathe in the glow of national media. But for many others, politics are a private affair – that is until you receive a pre-recorded via the home phone - usually, right around dinner time.

Tonight, all eyes are on Iowa. Tomorrow, they will shift to New Hampshire. The presidential candidates never fail to remind Granite State voters of the unique role they play. Much is made of Yankee independent thinking, but it would be a mistake to overlook how the outcome in Iowa can shape the results in New Hampshire.

Some voters relish the task of picking the next potential president. Matt McCormack isn’t one of them.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is the only high-profile candidate not fighting it out in Iowa. Campaigning in Pembroke this morning, Huntsman suggested that the Iowa caucus results would prove extremely perishable.

“We’ll remember them for about seven hours and then people will be focused on New Hampshire. And this will be the ballgame here because this is a primary, because this will be a broad-based turnout of Republicans and independents and even some Democrats.”

Most presidential hopefuls see a strong showing in the N.H. primary as important. For republican Jon Huntsman, it is essential. The former Utah Governor has staked his whole campaign on the first in the nation primary. NHPR’s Josh Rogers reports.

Jon Huntsman travelled to NY city this past weekend to poke fun at his New Hampshire-centric approach on Saturday Night Live.

Former Utah Governor and Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman. He’s touting himself as the only candidate with real foreign policy experience, after serving as Ambassador to China and Singapore. We’ll talk with Huntsman about where he stands on the issues and why he’d be the best to take on President Obama.

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman says energy security would be a driving force behind his administration. Huntsman laid out a three-part strategy that is unlikely to find favor with either farmers in Iowa or environmentalists nationwide.